Generation to Generation

So.  Two-and-a-half-year hiatus.  We have a new kid and a new house.  And so all the clutter is now in the garage.  Where no one but the bug man will see it.  So, here's to new beginnings on this blog, and seeing if I can make it a habit.

The decluttering dilemma that came upon our family during our move was:  how long will we hand down some of these family "treasures"?   We wondered if our kids might want to keep some of the pieces of furniture that have been in the family for a long time.  There were, in particular, two pieces of furniture that were reupholstered by my husband's grandmother. 

The question arose:  Do you love the furniture?  Or do you love that your grandmother touched it? Or worse:  Did someone tell you that it had to be loved by you, because it was a family treasure?  (I suspected the third question was in fact my husband's situation, because the furniture in question was pretty ugly not exactly my style.)

I was partially sympathetic because I also have things that were made by my own grandparents that are considered "treasures."  But how many generations will want to look at the scrapbook of Grandma and Grandpa Schneider's trip to Alaska in 1977? 

Will my children?  Will their children?  Will their children's children pack it carefully in a box when they move from Nebraska to Colorado, only to uncover it five years later when they decide to move to Oregon and wonder WHO ON EARTH saddled them with this stinking photo album?

How long will we pass down these things from generation to generation and ask them to consider these things "treasures"?

So lately, when I look at something and don't know if it has a home in our new home, I try to imagine:  will my great-great-grandchildren care about this?  Do I want them to have to think about it and curse my name for calling it "valuable"?  If not, then....maybe it's headed to the good will.  Let somebody else think they found a bargain.